Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

teacher of the true effect
[本果妙の教主] (Jpn honga-myo-no-kyoshu )

In Nichiren's teachings, Shakyamuni Buddha. In the "Life Span" (six-teenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni reveals the true effect, the Buddhahood he attained numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago. He alludes to the cause of that enlightenment only with the words "Originally I practiced the bodhisattva way," and does not clarify the teaching or Law that he practiced to attain Buddhahood. Shakyamuni Buddha is called the teacher of the true effect because he revealed his original enlightenment as a result already achieved—as an effect—and did not specify its cause. Nichiren defined the true cause that enabled Shakyamuni and all other Buddhas to attain enlightenment as the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo; he is therefore called the teacher of the true cause.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

teacher of the true cause
[本因妙の教主] (Jpn honnin-myo-no-kyoshu )

In Nichiren's teachings, the Buddha who expounds the fundamental Law, or the true cause, that enables all people to attain Buddhahood. In the "Life Span" (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni reveals the true effect, or the Buddhahood that he attained numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago. He does not, however, fully clarify the true cause of, i.e., the practice that led to, his enlightenment. Hence, he is called the teacher of the true effect. In contrast, Nichiren taught that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the Law implicit in the "Life Span" chapter and is the cause of enlightenment for all people. Because he clarified the true cause for attaining Buddhahood, he is called the teacher of the true cause, and his Buddhism, the Buddhism of the true cause, or the Buddhism of sowing that implants the seeds of enlightenment in the lives of those who practice it.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Three Great Secret Laws
[三大秘法] (Jpn sandai-hiho )

The core principles of Nichiren's teaching. They are the object of devotion of the essential teaching, the daimoku of the essential teaching, and the sanctuary of the essential teaching. Here, "essential teaching" refers to the teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and not to the essential teaching, or the latter fourteen chapters, of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren (1222-1282) established these three essential principles to enable people in the Latter Day of the Law to attain Buddhahood. They are called secret because they are implicit in the text of the "Life Span" (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra and remained hidden or unknown until Nichiren revealed them. Nichiren regarded them as the vital teaching that Shakyamuni Buddha transferred to Bodhisattva Superior Practices in the "Supernatural Powers" (twenty-first) chapter of the sutra. He regarded his mission as one with that of Bodhisattva Superior Practices. The Three Great Secret Laws represent Nichiren's embodiment of the Mystic Law, to which he was enlightened, in a form that all people can practice and thereby gain access to that Law within their own lives. He associated the Three Great Secret Laws with the three types of learning set forth in Buddhism—precepts, meditation, and wisdom. Specifically, the object of devotion corresponds to meditation, the sanctuary to precepts, and the daimoku to wisdom. Concerning the three types of learning based on the Lotus Sutra, Dengyo(767-822), in his Questions and Answers on Regulations for Students of the Tendai Lotus School, states, "The spacelike immovable precept, the spacelike immovable meditation, and the spacelike immovable wisdom—these three all together are transmitted under the name 'Wonderful Law.'" The three types of learning based on the Lotus Sutra are called "spacelike" and "immovable" because, like space, which represents the ultimate truth, they are immovable, or imperturbable. Nikko, Nichiren's successor, stated that in Nichiren's teachings the object of devotion corresponds to the spacelike immovable meditation, the sanctuary to the spacelike immovable precept, and the daimoku to the spacelike immovable wisdom. Nichiren mentions the Three Great Secret Laws in several of his writings (all dated after his near execution at Tatsunokuchi and subsequent exile to Sado Island in 1271), and in a work known as On the Three Great Secret Laws, he offers a detailed definition. At the core of the Three Great Secret Laws is the One Great Secret Law. This is the object of devotion of the essential teaching, or Nichiren's embodiment in the form of a mandala of the eternal Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which he fully realized and manifested in his life. He writes in The Person and the Law, "Deep in this mortal flesh I preserve the ultimate secret Law inherited from Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, at Eagle Peak" (1097). Because embracing this object of devotion called the Gohonzon is the only precept in Nichiren's teaching, the place where it is enshrined corresponds to the place where one vows to observe the Buddhist precepts—the ordination platform, or sanctuary, of the essential teaching. The term precept in Buddhism implies preventing error and putting an end to evil. The daimoku of the essential teaching indicates the invocation or chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the object of devotion; it includes chanting the daimoku for oneself and teaching it to others. Thus, both the sanctuary and the daimoku derive from the object of devotion. Later Nichikan (1665-1726), the twenty-sixth chief priest of Taiseki-ji temple, classified the Three Great Secret Laws into Six Great Secret Laws. First, the object of devotion is viewed in terms of both Person and Law. The Person indicates Nichiren himself, who achieved the enlightenment and virtues of the eternal Buddha and who established the Buddhism of sowing for all people in the Latter Day of the Law. The object of devotion in terms of the Law is the Gohonzon, which embodies Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Second, the sanctuary also has two aspects, the specified sanctuary and the general sanctuary. The former is the sanctuary to be built at the time of kosen-rufu, or wide propagation, in accordance with Nichiren's instruction. This is the place where the object of devotion Nichiren inscribed for all humanity (commonly known as the Dai-Gohonzon) is to be enshrined when his teaching has been widely spread and established. The general sanctuary is any place where one enshrines the object of devotion and engages in practice. Third, the daimoku of the essential teaching also has two aspects: the daimoku of faith and the daimoku of practice. The former means to believe in the Gohonzon, and the latter means to chant the daimoku and spread it. According to Nichikan's "Interpreting the Text Based upon Its Essential Meaning," the Six Great Secret Laws are considered a crystallization of the Buddha's eighty-four thousand teachings, the Three Great Secret Laws a crystallization of the Six Great Secret Laws, and the One Great Secret Law a crystallization of the Three Great Secret Laws.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens."

(Happiness in This World - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 681) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, January 28th, 2010.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"We chant the most powerful and supreme rhythm of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. There is nothing stronger. Chanting is the key to absolute victory. We will never be defeated. When we practise as the Daishonin teaches, boundless energy and courage surge forth from the depths of our beings.

"Let’s win and open the way forwards in all spheres, day after day and year after year, living in rhythm with the Mystic Law and making the entire universe our ally."

SGI Newsletter No. 7919, 36th SOKA GAKKAI HEADQUARTERS LEADERS MEETING--PART 2 [OF 2] Making the Entire Universe Our Ally (At the 36th Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting, held in conjunction with the Nationwide Women's Division Group Leaders General Meeting, at Makiguchi Memorial Hall in Hachioji, Tokyo, on Jan. 9th, 2010, from the Jan. 19th, 2010, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated Jan. 25th, 2010.

 

[Forest20]

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo...I just wanted to thank all of you for the support. To this date I have lost 70 lbs since Oct of last year... Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

 

[Payaso]

Congratulations Forest!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

Great news!

 

[Payaso]

"Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens."

(Happiness in This World - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 681) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, January 28th, 2010.

Thank you for these words of wisdom T, just what I needed to realize today.

 

[Dutchgrown]

Way to go Forest!

Hope all the chanters in this thread have a superb weekend, full of positive energy!
Much love to you all!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!!!

DG

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Congratulations Forest! Keep going! Keep it gone! Make your life different and better!

You know you can!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!!!!!!!!!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"It must be ties of karma from the distant past that have destined you to become my disciple at a time like this. Shakyamuni and Many Treasures certainly realised this truth. The sutra's statement, 'Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers,' cannot be false in any way."

(The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 217) Selection source "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, January 29th, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Without initiative, there is no victory. Without fighting spirit, there is no faith. Whatever the situation, never give in to fear! Press forwards with courage. Speak out. Strive with all your might and create a history of successive victories."

SGI Newsletter No. 7919, 36th SOKA GAKKAI HEADQUARTERS LEADERS MEETING--PART 2 [OF 2] Making the Entire Universe Our Ally (At the 36th Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting, held in conjunction with the Nationwide Women's Division Group Leaders General Meeting, at Makiguchi Memorial Hall in Hachioji, Tokyo, on Jan. 9th, 2010,
from the Jan. 19th, 2010, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated Jan. 25th, 2010.

 

[Dutchgrown]

"Without initiative, there is no victory. Without fighting spirit, there is no faith. Whatever the situation, never give in to fear! Press forwards with courage. Speak out. Strive with all your might and create a history of successive victories."

SGI Newsletter No. 7919, 36th SOKA GAKKAI HEADQUARTERS LEADERS MEETING--PART 2 [OF 2] Making the Entire Universe Our Ally (At the 36th Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting, held in conjunction with the Nationwide Women's Division Group Leaders General Meeting, at Makiguchi Memorial Hall in Hachioji, Tokyo, on Jan. 9th, 2010,
from the Jan. 19th, 2010, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated Jan. 25th, 2010.

Love this thread!! I find such deep inspiration here...and I feel like I'm drinking from a well of knowledge every time I read another of T's quotes he shares here. Thank you!

Hope everyone is well....and chanting away!!!!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!

 

[Lapides]

Nam myoho renge kyo!

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[EasyMyohoDisco]

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

Bodhisattva Alex will be receiving his Gohonzon today! He learned about the practice from the prayer group from my last job with Christian folk where I would just start chanting at the end. Many people introduced there and a few of those former co-workers did in fact attend SGI meetings with me. Finally, after a year and ten days of being let go from my former company one of my former co-workers will receive his Gohonzon and will start up his Buddhist Practice!

He has been exposed to my chanting growers lifestyle and will be an honorary Chanting Grower very soon.

BIG EXPERIENCE: Our November 2008 Shakubuku (a friend we met through friends) who received Gohonzon after coming to our home to chant with us for a couple months, started chanting about getting married last Spring. Within a month of sincere chanting and guidance from this thread she met the man she married yesterday! I was the best man and gave the speech and at the wedding we shakubukued so many new people. People from Germany were so sympathetic, even catholics from the USA were loving what we had to say!

Our practice is universal and we get what we want and deserve. The Gohonzon has the unlimited and ultimate mercy upon us all and it is up to us to use the Gohonzon by chanting and bringing about the Buddha's Will shall manifest in our lives. I saw it with my friend, I have seen it in many of you like Scegy, Socal, Mrs. B, Bud, Tom, and I hope others are aiming towards getting their Gohonzon and making the impossible possible in their lives!

Let's keep chanting and spreading our life experiences aimed at helping others achieve happiness, safety and a life long practice of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism!

 

[EasyMyohoDisco]

Update: Alex did not receive his Gohonzon this week, in lieu of receiving his Gohonzon next week! We had a great meeting today and I'm still soo fundamentally dark from my recent stress that I felt so much better after the meeting. I couldn't realize how tough it has been without chanting enough lately until I had a very strong meeting. A former Nichiren Shoshu member showed up that was once an evangelical minister who spoke about his experience where his wife a fanatical christian was enabled by other church folk to destroy this man's Gohonzon and Gohonzon room. He is now chanting again in my area and working towards getting his own Gohonzon with the SGI! My chapter is growing despite my geographic distance from the core membership, and I accept this challenge like a champ. It is tough to take care of members in other counties, but kosen-rufu requires people like the Chanting Growers who are ready for any and every challenge head-on.

I sure got a few tough challenges to overcome right now and will be chanting strong! It's all about Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! all the way!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Arouse deep faith, and diligently polish your mirror day and night. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."

(On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 4) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, February 1st, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Both life and Buddhism are concerned with winning. Each day and each year are decisive. We must emerge victorious through all that happens. Faith in the Mystic Law is the key to absolute victory. By employing the 'strategy of the Lotus Sutra'--chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo--let's triumph in the crucial struggles of this 80th-anniversary year!"

SGI Newsletter No. 7921, OUR BRILLIANT PATH TO VICTORY -NEW SERIES- My Determination and Vow for the 80th Anniversary, from the Jan. 1st, 2010, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun translated Jan. 28th, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The Daishonin urges us to live our lives with the robust spirit that encountering hardships on the path of faith constitutes peace and comfort (cf. OTT, 115). Mr. Toda also declared: 'Rejoice when you encounter hardships. This is the time to demonstrate the power of faith. It's an opportunity to change your karma. Through overcoming such trials, you can attain boundless, everlasting good fortune.”

"We are living in very difficult economic times at present. But I hope you will challenge yourselves with the powerful conviction that such circumstances represent a perfect opportunity for you to do your human revolution, and that you will change all poison into medicine.

"Let's do our best!"

SGI Newsletter No. 7919, 36th SOKA GAKKAI HEADQUARTERS LEADERS MEETING--PART 2 [OF 2] Making the Entire Universe Our Ally (At the 36th Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting, held in conjunction with the Nationwide Women's Division Group Leaders General Meeting, at Makiguchi Memorial Hall in Hachioji, Tokyo, on Jan. 9th, 2010, from the Jan. 19th, 2010, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated Jan. 25th, 2010.